Dark secrets never stay in the Past
by DarkDesperation
Summary: We all know how things have gone down with Katherine in the past. What if Katherine had a brother who survived the massacre back then? This is the story of Ludmil Petrova and how he met the Originals at a time when they didn't even trust each other anymore. It will be a hint to Elijah's past as we never knew it and later even reach the events of "The Originals". SLASH


Disclaimer : Nothing else than the OCs belong to me. I am merely using the characters of the wonderful creator of the TV-Show "The Originals"(I know it started in VD and there are also books about it but lets face it : the most favorited vampires transferred to "The Originals" and I always liked the TV Shows more) Besides after I'm through with the past it sure continues in the present New Orleans :D

It's about Elijah's past as we definetely not know it. I hope you will enjoy my story and be so kind to leave a review or two ;)

My life was always considered more valuable than this of my sister. Whatever I was allowed and encouraged to do she was forbidden and judged for although she was far older than me. It was simply because she was female and I was male. It was shortly after my tenth birthday that she began seeing someone and once I found out I urged her to quit things with that boy. He wasn't that sort of type you would like your sister to be with. Not one for marriage although he promised this to her a lot and when she told me several months later that they had shared one of the most intimate moments I was so afraid for her. If our family found out how she had disgraced herself then they would for sure just marry her to any common rat as long as they get rid of her. At least our father would. Katerina always argued that her precious Ivan would definitely marry her. She was blinded by her love and didn't see that once he got what he wanted he suddenly was too busy to even visit her when she got sick. First we all thought that she simply caught stomach flu but then her belly started to swell and all hell broke loose at home. My sister was suddenly the talk of the village and a common whore for them. At home it wasn't any better. My father was so furious that he had wanted to send Katerina away as pregnant as she was but our mother intervened. She argued a long time with him and finally they made the agreement that the baby would be given to a woman who came into the village a while ago. Her name was Morgan and she said she would bring the child to see a new world with her and would care for her until the rest of her life. Katerina on the other hand would be send to England in order for her to wed a nobleman and reestablish her worth in the family. She knew she couldn't offer her child anything so she agreed after meeting Morgan herself.

One year after Katerina's departure I still remember her last words. "Ludmil. I'm glad my child shares her birthday with her uncle and I hope you'll never forget me or that I love you", she whispered it shortly after Nadia was taken by our father. She was at least allowed to name her daughter but it was still cruel that she would never see her again. Neither was I able to see Katerina again if she didn't find a nobleman to marry but considering her beauty she might be back sooner than later. Her precious Ivan was still in the village and still unmarried. He was spreading cruel rumors of how my sister offered herself after just seeing him which caused a lot of fighting between me and him. This brings me to my current dilemma. After that weasel said another insult towards my family I kind of lost it and attacked him with bucket. I think I even managed to break his nose which absolutely earns a reward considering that he holds his nose higher than a bird could fly. It would have been really good if it wasn't so bad. My father will beat me into next week once he finds out and knowing that little bastard he will tell him as soon as he made his way back to the village. Like that annoying rat would ever miss a second to humiliate his family. So instead of going home I went through the forest until I stood at our favorite place. As small children Katerina would always take me to her special resort und play with me. It was a small lake at the end of the forest and looked worn down but to them it was their hideout from all the bad in the world. It was the first time I went there without her and it felt strange knowing that she was somewhere in England while I was still stuck here. And lately since I turned twelve my father was even more eager to marry a younger girl to me. I think he is afraid that I could turn into a disappointment too.

It was very dark when I made my way back to the village. Even from afar I could tell that something smelled burned. The closer I got the worse got the smell and standing at the entrance I looked at a picture of pure horror. The Village was burned down. Only a few houses were still standing but they looked also damaged. There were corpses everywhere. Some of them bloodied beyond recognition and some of them like they had been lost all their blood looking extremely pale. In the center of the village I could identify my family which was impaled on large stakes. I went directly towards the corpse of my mother and couldn't hold the tears back. Desperately I tried to take her down to save some of her grace but once I touched her still warm skin I started to panic. This wasn't done hours ago as I first thought. Apparently it was done recently which meant the murderers could still be around. That's when I heard a piercing scream of a woman. Shortly after said woman run on the street and I remembered her. Her name was Tsveta and she wasn't only a neighbor but also a friend of Katerina. "LUDMIL!, I heard her scream but before I could storm to her help two men came out of the same house laughing carelessly. They didn't even see me standing so close to the stakes. Tsveta seemed to have realized that too because she looked into my eyes and mouthed "run" shortly before she was yanked upwards and thrown back to the other man with the maniac look in his eyes. They were laughing again and dragged her back into the house without a glance back. That was the moment when I did as she told me and turned around to run back into the forest. Maybe if I could make it to the next village I could get help. I got as far as the forest entrance before I noticed another man coming of a house close by. He wasn't a villager that was for sure. But neither was he a maniac like the other two for he looked more than troubled by all the death around him. I was to turn around again to slip away into safety when he suddenly locked his gaze with mine and I looked into his piercing eyes. I could feel the panic swelling up in me again and made a run for it. I only got so far as to turn around and run directly into a broad chest before being slammed into a nearby tree. At this moment I didn't care that I should appear strong and started to cry hysterically. "Please don't kill me! Please!" Even begging wasn't beyond me anymore. Although it was pretty much possible that he wouldn't even understand me since his companions spoke in a foreign language too. But surprisingly he seemed to understand me since only seconds later he spoke Bulgarian to me. "What is your name little fellow?" "Ludmil… Ludmil Petrova", I whispered back in fear. Seeing what had happened only to my family I was afraid that I would die the same way. The man with the piercing eyes looked even more troubled than before and sighed deeply before releasing me. "Run fast and run far away from here where we would never find you", he orders and I didn't have to be told twice. I sprinted into the forest and swore that I would stay away from every village. It would be my fault if they died too because I was there.

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4 YEARS LATER

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Yawning I woke blinking against sunlight. It must be close to sunset and time for supper. "It's about time you woke up. Don't you have studies to attend to?" I heard an amused chuckle close to me and looked to my lord's desk. He was already signing some important papers again. "Well my lord. As a squire don't I have other duties to attend to?" My voice was sleepy yet even I could make out the provoking tone in it. Ever since I was confined to the chambers of my lord I've become a bit restless and endlessly bored. "Ludmil, do not provoke me today. You will stay in this chamber as long as these rats linger around". It was his final answer before he stood up and left for dinner. My dinner would he bring afterwards. It was all because the king decided to invite some lords over for a few days to his castle. My lord however thinks they are shady and that I should stay away from them at all costs. I on the other hand would rather spend my time in the library with Mary-Ann. She wasn't only my tutor but also became a good friend to me over the last three years. I was the only squire to get tutored and educated this way. I got even taught English right after the moment he found me. Lord Terran was on his way through a Bulgarian forest when he encountered me. I was so lost in my darkness and savageness that I jumped at him and tried to bite him. That's when I saw that letter in Bulgarian and once I had it in my hands I started reading it and crying. It had been a year since I had any human contact let alone been able to read something. Lord Terran saw potential in me and took me with him as his squire. At least officially. Unofficially I was more like the child he could never have since he vowed to be the king's guard. It is a vow that forbids marriage and children. I would also guess that he felt an enormous amount of pity for me and believed I've suffered because of some war. It was partly true considering what I had seen back then. After I learned to speak English in a short amount of time lord Terran hired Mary-Ann as my tutor. She is the only female scholar around and he considered her the least risk for my safety. She once explained to be that boys as fair as I have a lot of admirers who may not take a no for an answer. Some of the villagers think of her as a witch because she is so smart and respected around the court. But even she was against me going outside of my lord's chambers since she thought too that these guests were more than just suspicious. Usually they sit together in the hall with their lord to supper but since the guests arrived I was kept in the chamber and she was most likely in the library.

Bored to hell I decided if all of the nobles are down to eat none of these so shady characters would be in the halls to encounter. So I could theoretically go and visit Mary-Ann in the library. Before I could think this through my body already made it out the door just to bump into another person. "Oh I'm so sorry my lo…", the moment I looked in the face of him I couldn't speak another word. It was the same man. The man with the piercing eyes who now looked utterly surprised to see me here. Slowly the fear burned its way through my body and then I couldn't hold the panic back anymore. I took a step back but before I could run back into the chambers of my lord he held me back. His grip on my arm was so strong that I let out a hiss of pain. "Please let me go, Sir" "What are you doing here?", he gritted out und looked murderous. "Don't you know what it means if he sees you?!", he was even more angry now. "Care to explain why you hold my squire against his wishes and hurt him physically as it seems?" I was never happier to see my lord standing there but I didn't know the blonde woman who was standing close to him. "Elijah! What are you doing? Have you gone mad? Let go of the boy!", she seems like a scolding mother in that moment as she ripped his hands of me. "I must excuse my brother's behavior. It seems he does not feel up for socializing anymore. I'll take him to our guest rooms. Thank you very much for our conversation earlier". She seemed to drag Elijah out of the corridor while whispering to him. All the while he had his gaze plastered on me but at least it was not as murderous as before. "I told you in detail why I do not wish for you to leave this chambers. I hope this incident taught you a lesson. If I would've come any later who knows what he would have done". I already felt bad with these monsters in here but my lord's disappointment also weighted heavy on my chest. "You were talking with his sister", I hissed in accusation. "I merely made general conversation after she introduced herself. Do not worry I do not trust her any more than her brothers". After that the conversation was over and he escorted me back inside. It was probably to make sure I didn't slip away again. So if that man and his siblings were here. What if those other brothers were the two monsters he saw with Tsveta?! "My lord can I ask you a question?" "What?!". He was still angry when he set my food on the table and ordered me to eat. "Who is here at the castle? This Elijah and the blonde woman are. I know. But who else?". He sighed before he told me about these siblings. There was the fair blonde woman. Her name was Rebecca and she was the only woman in the family. Yet she still isn't married which is strange since she is a noble and judging from her looks was at least in her twenties. Then there is the troubled monster. My lord described him as a noble man with manners and sense fairness. He also seemed to be well educated and up until now he was probably the only one he could stand. Then there was a certain Kol who my lord described with only one word. Psychopath. His brother Klaus doesn't seem to be any better only less reckless and more calculating. My lord disliked them with a passion as it seems. And there was an eastern European lady who seemed to be Klaus' thrall. Once I was done eating I started to look at my studies. No need to provoke my lord any further.

It was in the middle of the night and lord Terran was snoring soundly. But still I could hear someone whispering my name so I walked to the door and opened it only a bit. I found myself face to face with someone I hadn't dared myself to think of in four years. "Tsveta?!". "Oh Ludmil… I am so happy to see you. When I overheard them talk I just knew it had to be you", she said while crying. "How come you are still alive? This these monster not kill you?", I whispered in shock and touched her face just to make sure she was real after all. "They… They use me… For their pleasure and need", she continued to cry but after a few seconds she calmed down a bit. "You need to leave… If Klaus finds you he will most certainly torture you to death. I couldn't bear to lose you too after he already killed Katerina!". "Ah ah ah that's not really nice what you have to say about brother now is it?". Out of the shadows came a man. I was certain it was the same monster I saw four years ago laughing like a maniac. I took a step back into my lord's chamber but was yanked out of it before I could even scream. The next few seconds are like blur. First this psychopath dragged me into the corridor only to be thrown against a wall by his sister. "You will not cause any trouble today dear brother", she hissed at him and held him there. Then there was Elijah who knelt in front of Tsveta and told her to forget everything she had just seen and go back to Niklaus (I assume this is lord Klaus) and resume her duties. Then he turned to me. "I will not compel you. But you need to act like this never happened if you want to continue your happy life here", he said and his voice was full of emotion. "He will tell that other monster anyway", I answered and pointed a finger at what I assume was Kol. "No he won't be able to". Not even a second later Rebecca rammed a dagger into Kol's chest. I was confused. "Why are you so desperate to help me? And what was that about my sister?" Rebecca's eyes widened slightly when I mentioned my sister and Elijah's face became hard for a second. "Your sister is like us now but she ran from Klaus even if that meant your family's demise. You might not understand it now but maybe one day you will. I only wish to protect myself and my family from more pain. Killing you would certainly bring a lot of pain to this family". I didn't even have chance to ask why my death would pain anyone of them when they suddenly weren't in the corridor with me anymore. My lord on the other hand was. He seemed to have just opened the door and looked down to me. Disappointment clearly written on his face. "Don't say anything I'm going back to sleep", I muttered and did just that.

The next day it seemed our guests chose to leave early since they only saw the king goodbye and no one else. I still had so many questions considering my sister. I needed to find her if she was truly still alive. I had asked everywhere three years ago when I came to England. I thought I could find here but then I gave up after no one could even remember to meet a Katerina. But now it was different. If my sister was like them now and if they could erase Tsveta's memories so easily she might have done the same to hide from Klaus. I never hated anyone more in my life. It took me days and weeks of thinking but I always came to the conclusion that he was responsible for everything evil that had happened to my sister and my family. There was only one way to find out. I wrote a letter to Elijah under a fake name and a fake address delivered by a peasant. If it was true what he said he would still understand that it was me who wrote it. I only wrote one sentence in it. "Would it truly pain you if I were to die?" The peasant left days ago but still it was a long way for him to go and yet I couldn't hide my anxiousness. I might get to find my sister after seven years of being separated.

/

Thats it for now. Hope you liked it :)


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